In 1964 his quartet “The Alan Batt Quartet performed during the mayoral race including the World’s Fair and Village Gate.  During that time  Battman’s Magic Show,  was featured at B. Altman’s Department Store on Fifth Avenue. in 1974. That year he also played and wrote the title song and 4 others for an album with the poet Susan Polis Schutz. 

           Following his love of the arts, he founded a band, “Battman and the Banana Boys,” in 2002 that performed everywhere around the city for 3 years around the city. They recorded 3 albums, Celebrate New York, Manhattan, and Meet Me In The Virgin Islands and sold ten thousand copies. He has been playing the flute since 1957.

      1979 was the year that he started a greeting card line, "Piece of The Rainbow "  using Betty Boop, Felix the Cat and some original characters. The line was picked up by several major retailers including Macys.The design was so radical that Hallmark Cards sent a photographer to Macys to photograph it. 

Battman began working as a photographer in the early ‘80s. Soon, he revamped the card designs using his shots of New York City street scenes and landmarks . He spent the next decade chronicling the city as lead photographer of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and two decades producing the New York City Firefighters’ calendar, raising nearly $1 million for charities like the Staten Island Burn Center.

       Battman’s poster of 42nd Street provided the backdrop for the New Victory Theater’s groundbreaking ceremony. From the late 90's through 2014, 35 of his images were featured in a permanent exhibition on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building - viewed by more than 3 million visitors annually.

       To get the shots that were featured there and in places like The New York Times and NYC & Company, Battman climbed the Brooklyn Bridge cable, perched on an Empire State Building ice shield, and tunneled underground to snap the final breakthrough of the wall between the Second Avenue Subway and the F train.

                                                                                         He then turned to the culinary arts.

       

         In 2001, Battman took his first food photograph, Lamb Chops, at Robert De Niro’s buzzy Tribeca Grill and discovered an awe of chefs’ artistry. Within a year, he’d photographed the signature dishes of 21 of the best chefs in the city, from Marcus Samuelsson to Eric Ripert, and featured them at his Empire State Building show.

         In 2004, he published their recipes in his first book, “The Great Bagels and Lox Book.” and  held the 1st Great Gathering of Chefs at Grand Central Terminal. Since then, he’s published 30 more books.

        “The Great Gathering of Chefs,” an event that is celebrated for its camaraderie, attracting both established stars and up-and-comers. The event was held 9 times until Covid hit. Proceeds went to several Children's Charities and supported The Chef's Connection Line Cook Classes. A  program that trains and places the unemployed in restaurants around the city. 

         Battman is also the founder of The Chefs Connection, a website that’s been connecting foodies with chefs — and chefs with chefs —since 2010. The site regularly attracts 18,000-20,000 views a month. 

          His most recent book, Toques in Black, highlights the extraordinary diversity of Black Chefs from across the country, blending a collection of 101 recipes with personal stories and experiences.

Feel free to contact Battman at battmanstudios@gmail.com with inquiries for photo shoots, book ideas, etc.